Posted in: Electronic Arts, Games, Video Games | Tagged: bioware, Electronic Arts, star wars, star wars: the old republic, SWTOR

Star Wars: The Old Republic Is Now Available On Steam

Published Tue, 21 Jul 2020 20:10:53 -0500

by Gavin Sheehan

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The wishes and dreams of fans who love Star Wars: The Old Republic have come true as the game is now officially available on Steam. Electronic Arts and BioWare have made the popular MMORPG set int eh Star Wars universe completely free to play for everyone starting today. You can create your character and send them off down whatever path you choose, and whether that be with the Light or Dark Side of the Force, whether that be a Bounty Hunter, or if you choose one of the dozen other roles within the game… it's all up to you. But the Steam version of the game comes with a few new additions and changes, which we have listed below from the developers. Nothing major that will derail the way you play the game, just some bonuses to make things awesome such as Crossplay and Cross-Save.

Star Wars: The Old Republic appears on Steam for the first time since it launched in late 2011, courtesy of Electronic Arts. — *Star Wars: The Old Republic* appears on Steam for the first time since it launched in late 2011, courtesy of Electronic Arts.

Crossplay and Cross-Save

If you decide to play The Old Republic through Steam instead of the direct SWTOR launcher, all of your progress will carry over when you switch! Likewise, all progress you make on Steam will carry to the next time you play using the direct launcher.

Trading Cards

A majority of games on Steam come with cool and unique Trading Cards! These virtual cards, earned by buying and playing games on Steam, can be crafted into badges that grant Steam-related rewards. Star Wars: The Old Republic has a total of eight Trading Cards featuring notable characters like Darth Malgus, Satele Shan, HK-55, and others! Collect a set of cards to earn items (like emoticons and backgrounds) you can use to customize your Steam profile and account. Trading Cards, along with emoticons and backgrounds, can also be bought and sold on the Steam Marketplace.

Emoticons

Emoticons are small symbols or pictures given to a user once they have crafted a badge, and they function the same way as the emoticons on the official SWTOR Forums. On Steam, there are a few basic emoticons that everyone can use, but most are only available if you own the emoticon. For The Old Republic, there will be a total of five Jawa-themed emoticons available to collect. To see which game-based Steam emoticons you own, you can check your Steam inventory page.

Backgrounds

Profile backgrounds can also be earned when completing a SWTOR Steam badge. These are displayed on your Steam profile page and add an extra level of customization for your Steam presence. There will be a total of six unique backgrounds available to collect. If you have earned multiple backgrounds, they can be changed at your discretion.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Achievements

Although SWTOR will not have Steam achievements on launch, over 100 achievements will be added with a future update later this year. All of the Steam achievements will be exact copies of their SWTOR counterparts, meaning Steam will not have exclusive or unique achievements. Achievements will be retroactive! For example, if you have 47 achievements already unlocked in-game, those same achievements will all unlock on Steam when you launch SWTOR through the platform for the first time.